How it works
Swipe across the letters of the wheel, in order, to spell a word. If it belongs in the crossword, it fills its squares. Each letter can be used once per word. Other real words go into your bonus words.
Start short
Three-letter words come fastest and fill crossing squares that give away the long ones. Try every consonant with every vowel: with T, A, E and N you get TAN, TEN, NET, ANT, EAT, TEA, ATE, ETA.
Endings and plurals
If the wheel has an S, most nouns and verbs you find have a plural or a third-person form. With E and D, try the past tense; with I, N and G, try the -ING form. Prefixes like RE- and UN- work the same way at the front.
Use the crossword
The empty crossword tells you how many words of each length you need, and every filled square is a letter of the words crossing it. A five-letter slot with its second letter given is a much smaller search than five free letters.
The longest slot usually takes all the letters of the wheel. Say the letters aloud in different orders; the long word often jumps out.
Shuffle and swap
Shuffling the wheel shows the letters in a new order, and new orders suggest new words. In your head, swap the vowels of a word you already have: from STAR you get STIR, from LINE you get LANE and LONE.
When nothing comes
Type the letters into our word unscrambler: it lists every word they spell, common words first. Use it for one word and go on alone; the puzzle is more fun that way.
Questions
- Do bonus words count?
- In Tomewick they go into your bonus book and earn points, even if the crossword does not need them.
- Can I use a letter twice?
- Only if the wheel has it twice. Each letter of the wheel is used at most once per word.
- Which dictionary is used?
- Common words of 3 to 7 letters, without names, abbreviations or rude words, in eight languages.
